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“The Russian Foreign Ministry has received an address from Gennady Onishchenko to issue visas to members of the Georgian delegation, which is leaving for Russia for talks with Rospotrebnadzor. The Russian Interests Section at the Swiss Embassy in Tbilisi has been instructed to issue them visas,” the ministry reported on Saturday.

“As for members of the Georgian delegation and other issues related to the talks, corresponding comments may be given at Rospotrebnadzor,” the ministry said.

On Friday, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili called for thinking about making relations with Russia really friendly. “Let’s forget about the bad things. Let’s only plan how to get out of the impasse, how to turn our relationship into a true friendship,” he said on the sidelines of the Davos World Economic Forum.

The Georgian delegation is led by chairman of the National Wine Agency Levan Davitashvili. On Thursday, January 24, he told journalists, “The meetings in Moscow will focus on such technical issues as control over quality and certification rules.” According to deputy head of the Georgian Agriculture Ministry’s National Food Agency Tengiz Kalandadze, Georgia will present a report on systems for exerting control over goods, which are being produced in the republic.

He expects Russia “to lay its claims related to import of Georgian wine, mineral waters, vegetables and fruits” at the upcoming meetings. “Obviously, we know about Russia’s certain requirements. During the visit to Moscow, we’ll get information in details. For our part, we prepare a special report, which will touch on systems for exerting control over foodstuffs, the structure of this service and on the involvement of other agencies in this process,” Kalandadze said.

Agriculture Minister David Kirvalidze hopes that the visit will yield concrete results: “it will establish rules of the game for the Georgian producers, who decide to import products to Russia”. “The Russian market creates its own conditions. In addition, they should correspond to the rules, which exist in the World Trade Organisation,” the Georgian minister said.

The Georgian delegation involves representatives of the Agriculture Ministry, winemaking companies, the Vegetables and Fruits Exporters Association and the sanitary service. The date of the departure is not named. According to certain reports, “after the issuance of Russian visas members of the delegation are ready to leave for Moscow.”